Shantala A Hari Dass, Kathryn McCracken, Irina Pokhvisneva, Lawrence M Chen, Elika Garg, Thao T T Nguyen, Zihan Wang, Barbara Barth, Moein Yaqubi, Lisa M McEwen, Julie L MacIsaac, Josie Diorio, Michael S Kobor, Kieran J O'Donnell, Michael J Meaney, Patricia P Silveira
BACKGROUND: Activation of brain insulin receptors modulates reward sensitivity, inhibitory control and memory. Variations in the functioning of this mechanism likely associate with individual differences in the risk for related mental disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, addiction, dementia), in agreement with the high co-morbidity between insulin resistance and psychopathology. These neurobiological mechanisms can be explored using genetic studies. We propose a novel, biologically informed genetic score reflecting the mesocorticolimbic and hippocampal insulin receptor-related gene networks, and investigate if it predicts endophenotypes (impulsivity, cognitive ability) in community samples of children, and psychopathology (addiction, dementia) in adults...
April 2019: EBioMedicine